The big day

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This article was published 17/05/2018 (2841 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hold on to your fascinators: the royal wedding is nigh.

On Saturday, Prince Harry will marry actress Meghan Markle. The countdown has been on since the couple announced their engagement in November, with breathless speculation on everything from the dress to the guest list.

In preparation for The Big Day, here’s your guide to the royal wedding as written by me, a woman whose previous royal knowledge comes exclusively from The Crown.

Why people care about this

As a biracial woman, Markle’s entry into the British royal family is a big deal — particularly, as the New York Times recently reported, among black Britons. To many British youth of colour, she has become a role model. She’s also American and a divorcée, which marks another step into this century for the royal family, which has long had a fraught relationship with the concept of divorce.

The wedding of Princess Diana’s youngest son, who was just 12 when she died in 1997, will likely be an emotional experience for fans of the princess.

This will also be the last big-deal royal wedding for a while. We’re decades away from the nuptials of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, the children of Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Assuming, that is, the royal youngsters eventually get married.

The wedding details

Even though most of us plebes didn’t get an engraved invitation to the Big Day, most of us know the when and where: noon, London time, on Saturday, at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. At 1 p.m., the happy couple will take a carriage ride through Windsor Town.

Markle’s dad, Thomas Markle, will not be walking his daughter down the aisle as he’s expected to undergo heart surgery, but her mother, Doria Ragland will be in attendance. And even the most royal of weddings are not exempt from family drama: there was some recent weirdness involving those staged paparazzi photos of Thomas Markle, and then there was the perceived snub of Markle’s half-siblings, who were not invited to the wedding. (Royals! They’re just like us!)

 

In other, more adorable news, it was confirmed Wednesday that Prince George and Princess Charlotte would be in the wedding party. Markle is not having a maid of honour as she reportedly didn’t want to choose between her friends, and all her bridesmaids will be children, as per royal wedding tradition. Three-year-old Princess Charlotte — who, let’s get real, is clearly the unofficial maid of honour — will be joined by Prince Harry’s goddaughters, Florence van Cutsem and Zalie Warren, Meghan’s goddaughters, Remi and Rylan Litt, and Ivy Mulroney, the daughter of Markle’s good friend Jessica Mulroney. Prince George will be a page boy along with Mulroney’s sons, Brian and John, as well as Harry’s godson Jasper Dyer.

Newborn Prince Louis will not be at the wedding. He has a lot on his plate that day.

Of course, there’s also much speculation about The Dress. The designer of Markle’s gown is a closely guarded secret, but the Daily Mail reported in May that is was designed by London atelier Ralph & Russo, but that hasn’t been confirmed. Either way, Markle has a tough act to follow: in 2011, Kate Middleton brought back sleeves with her now-iconic lace Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen stunner, and almost singlehandedly ended the tyrannical reign of the strapless wedding dress.

 

Who will attend

Six hundred people were invited to the wedding — you know, just a small, intimate affair — but the lack of officials on the invite list is striking. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau were not invited, and neither was U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife Melania. Even British Prime Minister Theresa May was snubbed. Instead, the spots were reserved for family and friends, including actress Priyanka Chopra, tennis great Serena Williams, Markle’s Suits castmates and all five Spice Girls.

Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, was invited to the ceremony this time — she was left off William and Kate’s guest list — but not to the evening reception.

Apparently some ghosts are set to crash the wedding, too, according to a totally reliable British tabloid.

What Meghan Markle will be called

As with Middleton, Markle will not receive the title of princess when she marries Prince Harry. Only girls born into the royal family are given that title. She will likely become a Duchess, so long as the Queen bestows a dukedom on Harry, as she did with William.

Matters of etiquette

There is no bouquet toss at a royal wedding. Instead, royal brides leave their flowers at Unknown Warrior in London’s Westminster Abbey, a long-running tradition started by the late Queen Mother. Those in attendance should not wear white (which is just a good rule for weddings in general), should not talk to the Queen unless she talks to them first, and ladies should wear hats.

Party planning

Whether you’re celebrating the royal nuptials with champagne and sweatpants or throwing a full-on royal wedding viewing party, there are plenty of ways to bring a bit of the official festivities home. Some people are going really all out — someone was even looking for a corgi to borrow for a viewing party — but there are easier ways to get into the royal spirit. Peonies, the preferred flower of Markle and Instagram alike, are expected to decorate the inside of St. George’s Chapel. If you’re menu planning, anything lemon- or elderflower-flavoured will be perfectly on-trend; royal baker Claire Ptak is baking the couple a lemon-elderflower cake. But look, it’s also going to be really early in the morning, so you could also just buy some scones and put them on a nice plate or something. (Pro tip: the aptly named High Tea Bakery has whipped up some adorable royal-themed treats, and Lilac Bakery has also baked up batches of Imperial cookies.)

How to honour the royal couple

Harry and Meghan recently announced they aren’t accepting gifts. Well-wishers seeking to mark their marriage are asked to make donations to seven charities selected by the couple that “reflect their shared values.” They include the Children’s HIV Association, Crisis, the Myna Mahila Foundation, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, StreetGames, The Wilderness Foundation UK, and Surfers Against Sewage. More details can be found here.

Finding the wedding on TV

Of course, in order to host a viewing party, you need to be able to view the wedding. The actual wedding will be at 6 a.m. Winnipeg time, but live coverage will start much earlier than that on Canadian networks. CTV, CBC TV and CBC News Network will begin theirs at 3 a.m., and Global at 3:30 a.m. All the major American networks are also covering the event and, if you get HBO Canada, Saturday Night Live alumni Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon will be hosting in character. Check your local listings from your cable provider. Many networks will stream their coverage online.

The first televised royal wedding was on May 6, 1960, when Princess Margaret married Antony Armstrong-Jones at Westminster Abbey.

jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @JenZoratti